Gal Mekel
Gal Mekel was born in Petah Tikva, Central District, Israel on March 4th, 1988 and is the Basketball Player. At the age of 36, Gal Mekel biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 36 years old, Gal Mekel has this physical status:
Gal Mekel (born March 4, 1988) is an Israeli professional basketball player for Reggio Emilia of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). For two years at Wichita State, he played college basketball.
He continued to compete in the Israeli Super League for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Hapoel Gilboa Galil, and Maccabi Haifa, as well as in the Italian Serie A League for Benetton Treviso.
He was a two-time Israeli Super League MVP in 2011 and 2013. He signed a three-year minimum fully guaranteed contract with the Dallas Mavericks in 2013, becoming the second Israeli to play in the NBA; he also holds a Polish passport.
Early and personal life
Mekel was born in Ramat HaSharon, Israel, to Alon and Ariela Mekel. He has four brothers and two sisters. He attended Alliance High School in Tel Aviv.
He joined the Hapoel Tel Aviv youth team right away. He followed him to the A.S. Ramat HaSharon youth team, where he displayed strong leadership skills. His talent caught the attention of basketball legend Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he landed at the age of 17 and then won the 2005–06 Israeli Youth League.
After marrying daughter Danyella, Willie Sims, an American-Israeli former basketball player, will father-in-law.
College career
Mekel played college basketball for two years at Wichita State. He was promoted to starter in his rookie season (2006-07). He played for 13 minutes and four points per game in his first season.
Mekel's stats increased to 9.3 ppg and 3.7 apg in 2007-08, which was in addition to playing more than 30 minutes per game. Despite his growth, he decided to leave the team early in the season.
Professional career
Mekel started his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv on March 28, 2008, the remainder of the 2007-08 season.
Maccabi Tel Aviv, an Israeli club that is known for promoting young talent, loaned Mekel to Hapoel Gilboa Galil, in order to gain some playing time and return better next year. He averaged 6.9 points and 2.7 assists per game in Galil. He excelled in the league's playoff quarter-finals against Hapoel Holon, assisting his team in reaching the Israeli Super League Final Four, where they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Mekel went on to win the Israeli Super League Rising Star award.
Mekel returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv after a fruitful season with Galil. Doron Perkins, the team's newcomer who had won the Israeli Super League MVP award in the previous season, was named in the point guard replacement position. In his debut game with Maccabi Tel Aviv against Ironi Nahariya in the second round of the 2009-2010 Israeli Super League, Mekel scored 13 points and 5 assists. After the minority of minutes he was receiving in December 2009, he begged to be loaned out once more.
Mekel was loaned back to Gilboa/Galil just six months after he completed his first loan to the same company. Mekel and Jeremy Pargo were able to share the point guard position in Galil with Jeremy Pargo. Galil defeated Maccabi in the league's final last week, bringing them to their second Israeli Super League title together. Mekel was a key player on the team, averaging of 7.5 points and 4.3 assists per game in 25.5 minutes per game.
Mekel received offers from Israeli clubs Bnei HaSharon and Maccabi Haifa in 2010, but he decided to remain in Galil, signing a one-year deal with them. He participated with the team in the EuroLeague 2010–11 qualifying rounds, but he didn't help the team advance to the qualification's first round, where they were eliminated by KK Hemofarm from Serbia. Mekel led Galil to a second-place finish at the end of the regular season, leading to a second-place finish. They were able to repeat their previous season's trip to the final against Maccabi once more, but this time they lost. Mekel had a fruitful individual season, culminating in him winning the Israeli Super League MVP award. In 2011, he was elected Israeli Premier League Assists Chief.
In the 2011 BSL All-Star Game, he was also participating.
Mekel joined Benetton Treviso, Italy, on July 5, 2011. Benetton played in the 2011–12 EuroCup Last 16 and finished in 11th place in the Italian 2011–12 LBA competition, winning in 11th place. In the Italian League, he averaged 6.3 points and 3.7 assists per game, as well as 4 points and 2 assists per game in the EuroCup. The club has suspended the operation of the first squad at the end of the season, focusing on the youth market.
Mekel wanted to remain with a team that was playing in European-wide competitions, but he also had tryouts with the Utah Jazz of the NBA; but after not being offered a decent contract, he signed with Maccabi Haifa. Mekel led the team to a 2nd-place finish at the end of the Israeli Super League regular season and the Israeli State Cup final, where they lost to Maccabi Tel Aviv. When Haifa reached the Israeli Super League's final, which was held at their home court, Romema Arena, they had a chance at a title for the second time this season. After a strong showing by Mekel, who won the Israeli League MVP award, which he hadn't won a night before, the Greens went on to win the match and the championship.
The Dallas Mavericks signed Mekel to a three-year minimum fully guaranteed deal on July 11, 2013. He became the second Israeli to join the NBA. Mekel was a member of the Mekel family in the 2013 NBA Summer League, and averaged 9.7 points and 5 assists per game.
Mekel scored 2 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in his first regular season game for the Mavs on October 30, 2013, defeating the Atlanta Hawks 118-109. On November 1, two Israeli players took on opposing NBA teams for the first time, when Mekel and the Mavericks defeated Omri Casspi and the Rockets. The two had worked on the Israeli Under-16, Under-18, and Under-20 teams, as well as the Maccabi Tel Aviv junior team. The Houston Rockets defeated the Dallas Mavericks 113-105 in a Houston game. Casspi scored 12 points in 21 minutes, while Mekel scored 11 points and disheyed 6 assists in 23 minutes in his best NBA game to date. He started his NBA game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 30, scoring 6 points and dished off 7 assists in 26 minutes. Despite being 106–112. Mekel was put on the injured list following his game on January 13, 2014, due to a torn meniscus in his right knee, which required surgery and at least four weeks of recovery.
Mekel was drafted to the Texas Legends of the NBA D-League on March 4, 2014. The Mavericks recalled him on March 9, a young man. He had been recalled to the Legends on March 15, and he was reassigned to the Legends. He was released three days later.
The Mavericks waived Mekel on October 29, 2014.
Mekel signed a two-year, non-guaranteed deal with the New Orleans Pelicans on December 5, 2014. However, he was later suspended by the Pelicans on December 19 after playing in only four games.
Mekel departed from Russia on February 24, 2015 and signed with Nizhny Novgorod until the end of the 2015-16 season. After being knocked out by CSKA Moscow 3–0 in their VTB United League semifinal playoff series, Nizhny Novgorod's 2014–15 VTB United League season came to an end. He left Nizhny in July 2015.
Mekel signed a one-year deal with Serbian ABA League team Crvena zvezda on August 27, 2015. Mekel left Crvena zvezda on December 3, 2015, after appearing in 13 games.
Mekel returned to Maccabi Tel Aviv for the third time in 2016, signing a 312-year deal. Mekel received the Finals MVP award for two years in a row. In 2016, he was the Israeli Premier League Assist Leader. Mekel and Maccabi parted ways on July 4, 2017.
Mekel signed a one-year contract with Herbalife Gran Canaria on July 14, 2017. He averaged 9.6 points and 5 assists per game in 17 EuroCup games. Mekel aided Gran Canaria in reaching the 2018 EuroCup quarterfinals, as well as the 2018 ACB Semifinals, allowing them to qualify for a EuroLeague ticket.
Mekel signed with the Russian team Zenit Saint Petersburg for the 2018-19 season on October 8, 2018. He averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 rebounds in 18.8 minutes per game in 27 games played in the VTB League and the EuroCup. Mekel helped Zenit reach the 2019 VTB Championship Semifinals, where they were eventually disqualified by CSKA Moscow. Mekel and Zenit broke down on July 7, 2019.
Mekel signed with Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia of the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) on August 15, 2019. Mekel won Reggio Emilia by 84–72 over OriOra Pistoia on October 20, 2019, shooting 7-of-13 from the field.
Mekel's employment ended with the club due to the outbreak of coronavirus in Italy.
He signed with Unica Málaga of Spain's Liga ACB on March 5, 2020.
He joined MoraBanc Andorra of the Liga ACB on October 11, 2021.
National team career
Mekel is a member of Israel's national basketball team. He competed in the 2010, 2011, 2015, and 2017 EuroBasket tournaments.